Ana Paula Pêgo is Vice-Rector of the University of Porto for Research and Knowledge Valorisation, Professor at the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), and Group Leader of the nanoBiomaterials for Targeted Therapies (nBTT) research group at i3S.
She obtained her PhD in Polymer Chemistry and Biomaterials from the University of Twente, the Netherlands, in 2002 and joined INEB, Instituto de Engenharia Biomédica, in 2003. At i3S, she leads research focused on the development of biomaterials and nanomedicine-based approaches for nervous tissue repair and regeneration.
Her work combines biomaterials science, nanotechnology, and neuroscience, with interests that include targeted delivery systems, nerve regeneration strategies, and tissue-engineered platforms for studying disease and developing new therapies. She is also engaged in the societal and ethical challenges associated with emerging technologies in Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine.
Ana Paula Pêgo has received several distinctions for her scientific contributions, including the Santa Casa Neurociências Award. Alongside her research activities, she is strongly committed to education, mentorship, and the training of future scientists and bioengineers, having supervised more than 100 students and early-career researchers across all levels of academic training.
Internationally, she serves on the Council of the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB) as Past President and is an Associate Editor of Biomaterials (Elsevier), one of the leading journals in the field.
Selected Publications
It takes two to remyelinate: A bioengineered platform to study astrocyte-oligodendrocyte crosstalk and potential therapeutic targets in remyelination. Biomaterials Advances151:, 2023. [Journal: Article] [CI: 4] [IF: 5.5]
DOI: 10.1016/j.bioadv.2023.213429 SCOPUS: 85154606054
Leiro V., Spencer A.P., Magalhães N., Pêgo A.P.
Versatile fully biodegradable dendritic nanotherapeutics. Biomaterials281:, 2022. [Journal: Article] [CI: 23] [IF: 14]
DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2021.121356 SCOPUS: 85122615698
Moreno P.M.D., Cortinhas J., Martins A.S., Peĝo A.P.
Engineering a Novel Self-Assembled Multi-siRNA Nanocaged Architecture with Controlled Enzyme-Mediated siRNA Release. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces14(51):56483-56497, 2022. [Journal: Article] [CI: 6] [IF: 9,5]
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c15086 SCOPUS: 85144279266
Gulino M., Santos S.D., Pêgo A.P.
Biocompatibility of Platinum Nanoparticles in Brain ex vivo Models in Physiological and Pathological Conditions. Frontiers in Neuroscience15:, 2021. [Journal: Article] [CI: 22] [IF: 5,2]
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.787518 SCOPUS: 85121988659
Barros D., Parreira P., Furtado J., Ferreira-da-Silva F., Conde-Sousa E., García A.J., Martins M.C.L., Amaral I.F., Pêgo A.P.
An affinity-based approach to engineer laminin-presenting cell instructive microenvironments. Biomaterials192:601-611, 2019. [Journal: Article] [CI: 14] [IF: 10,3]
DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.10.039 SCOPUS: 85059918479
Santos S., Xavier M., Leite D., Moreira D., Custódio B., Torrado M., Castro R., Leiro V., Rodrigues J., Tomás H., Pêgo A.
PAMAM dendrimers: blood-brain barrier transport and neuronal uptake after focal brain ischemia. Journal of Controlled Release291:65-79, 2018. [Journal: Article] [CI: 95] [IF: 7,9]
DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2018.10.006 SCOPUS: 85055160262
Moreno P.M.D., Ferreira A.R., Salvador D., Rodrigues M.T., Torrado M., Carvalho E.D., Tedebark U., Sousa M.M., Amaral I.F., Wengel J., Pêgo A.P.
Hydrogel-Assisted Antisense LNA Gapmer Delivery for In Situ Gene Silencing in Spinal Cord Injury. Molecular Therapy - Nucleic Acids11:393-406, 2018. [Journal: Article] [CI: 15] [IF: 5,9]
DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2018.03.009 SCOPUS: 85045213607
Leiro V., Duque Santos S., Lopes C.D.F., Paula Pêgo A.
Dendrimers as Powerful Building Blocks in Central Nervous System Disease: Headed for Successful Nanomedicine. Advanced Functional Materials28(12):, 2018. [Journal: Article] [CI: 51] [IF: 15,6]
DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201700313 SCOPUS: 85019665316
Lopes C.D.F., Gonçalves N.P., Gomes C.P., Saraiva M.J., Pêgo A.P.
BDNF gene delivery mediated by neuron-targeted nanoparticles is neuroprotective in peripheral nerve injury. Biomaterials121:83-96, 2017. [Journal: Article] [CI: 108] [IF: 8,8]
DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2016.12.025 SCOPUS: 85008958194
Gomes C.P., Lopes C.D.F., Leitner M., Ebner A., Hinterdorfer P., Pêgo A.P.
Atomic Force Microscopy as a Tool to Assess the Specificity of Targeted Nanoparticles in Biological Models of High Complexity. Advanced Healthcare Materials6(21):, 2017. [Journal: Article] [CI: 7] [IF: 5,6]
DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201700597 SCOPUS: 85026363665
Leiro V., Garcia J.P., Moreno P.M.D., Spencer A.P., Fernandez-Villamarin M., Riguera R., Fernandez-Megia E., Paula Pêgo A.
Biodegradable PEG-dendritic block copolymers: Synthesis and biofunctionality assessment as vectors of siRNA. Journal of Materials Chemistry B5(25):4901-4917, 2017. [Journal: Article] [CI: 25] [IF: 4,8]
DOI: 10.1039/c7tb00279c SCOPUS: 85021637380
Silva J., Bento A.R., Barros D., Laundos T.L., Sousa S.R., Quelhas P., Sousa M.M., Pêgo A.P., Amaral I.F.
Fibrin functionalization with synthetic adhesive ligands interacting with α6β1 integrin receptor enhance neurite outgrowth of embryonic stem cell-derived neural stem/progenitors. Acta Biomaterialia59:243-256, 2017. [Journal: Article] [CI: 21] [IF: 6,4]
DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2017.07.013 SCOPUS: 85023776762
Moreno P.M.D., Santos J.C., Gomes C.P., Varela-Moreira A., Costa A., Leiro V., Mansur H., Peîgo A.P.
Delivery of Splice Switching Oligonucleotides by Amphiphilic Chitosan-Based Nanoparticles. Molecular Pharmaceutics13(2):344-356, 2016. [Journal: Article] [CI: 22] [IF: 4,4]
DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.5b00538 SCOPUS: 84957309922
Lopes C.D.F., Gomes C.P., Neto E., Sampaio P., Aguiar P., Pêgo A.P.
Microfluidic-based platform to mimic the in vivo peripheral administration of neurotropic nanoparticles. Nanomedicine11(24):3205-3221, 2016. [Journal: Article] [CI: 17] [IF: 4,7]
DOI: 10.2217/nnm-2016-0247 SCOPUS: 84998705753
Rocha D.N., Ferraz-Nogueira J.P., Barrias C.C., Relvas J.B., Pêgo A.P.
Extracellular environment contribution to astrogliosis—lessons learned from a tissue engineered 3D model of the glial scar. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience9(SEPTEMBER):, 2015. [Journal: Article] [CI: 33] [IF: 4,6]
DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2015.00377 SCOPUS: 84944455274
